Who could have known a few months back, when we lamented the loss of Old, Weird Philadelphia, that our friends in Harrisburg would be helping us get back there quicker than we ever imagined? You might not have batted an eye when it became apparent that City would have no money to pay outside vendors until the Harrisburg Meltdown was resolved; and you might have seen Mayor Nutter‘s Doomsday Plan as nothing more than that. But as the Harris-lag drags out, there’s one thing you might have forgotten about: Included in that list of “outside vendors” who aren’t getting paid right now are court-appointed attorneys. And if they balk on their clients — a totally plausible scenario in This Economy — judges may be forced to release defendants awaiting trial in Philly. Because a speedy trial with a lawyer is your right, yo. This hasn’t come to pass yet — a group representing court-appointed lawyers is presently lobbying Nutter for an exception, according to KYW — but give it time. Do you think Philly in 1983 just woke up one day being so awesomely dilapidated?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 5th, 2009 at 11:55 am.